2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E Review

The 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E is the first Ford to be designed specifically as an electric vehicle. Expected to debut in the fall of 2020, the Mach-E seeks to blend the emotive appeal of the Mustang nameplate with the latest EV technology. Prices will start around $40,000 and range up to about $65,000 depending on options, with the higher-performance GT models arriving in summer 2021.

Roughly the same size as a Ford Escape or Porsche Macan, the Mustang Mach-E blends typical SUV proportions with some characteristic Mustang details. The vertical rear lights and pronounced rear haunches are a Mustang signature, for example, although the iconic pony badge has been given a tweak with the introduction of some black ribs. In sum, it appears taut, compact and undeniably sporty.

The Mach-E will only be available as a fully electric vehicle — there will be no gas-powered version or even a hybrid. It will be offered with a choice of two battery packs and either rear- or all-wheel drive. The latter employs two electric motors, driving the front and rear wheels, respectively.

Customers will be able to prioritize either electric range or performance. The entry-level rear-wheel-drive car with the smaller (75.7-kWh) battery pack should be good for a range of 230 miles. For those seeking the greatest flexibility, Ford is offering the bizarrely named California Route One variant with a larger (98.8-kWh) battery and the promise of a realistic range in excess of 300 miles.

The cabin is a neat blend of forward-thinking tech and old-school common sense. In keeping with the current zeitgeist, attention focuses on a giant central touchscreen mounted in a portrait pose in the center of the car. This screen controls the car's primary functions and is supplemented by a second screen in front of the driver that displays the speed and available range. Those screens will debut Ford's latest iteration of Sync, designed to learn driver preferences over time. We haven't seen the new infotainment in action yet, but Ford is claiming it will provide a new experience. And although the software is Ford's own, the system is also compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Ford has thankfully resisted the temptation to follow Tesla's example of locating the speedometer in the center of the dash. Traditionalists will also be pleased to find a relatively conventional rotary gear knob and column-mounted control levers, along with buttons for the cruise control, stereo and telephone.

Storage space is plentiful throughout the cabin, and the Mustang is a proper five-seater with 6-footers able to sit comfortably in tandem. There's considerably more room than you'd find in a similarly sized Porsche Macan, for example.

Complementing the generous passenger space are two trunks. The one in the front (known as a frunk) has enough space for a piece of airline cabin baggage and boasts a drainage function, allowing you to hose it clean or even use it as an impromptu ice chest. The 4.8 cubic feet in the front is supplemented by 29 cubic feet of space in the rear trunk, which should be ample for most family needs.

At long last, Ford is getting serious about electric cars, but the automaker is taking a slightly different tack from other mainstream automakers. Rather than focusing on an eco-friendly image, Ford wants to excite enthusiasts and tech-savvy buyers by offering more performance and capability, along with its latest technology features, in an emotive package.

The Mustang Mach-E will be followed in the next couple of years by an electric version of the F-150 truck. For consumers, this can only be good news. The arrival of new, big-name entrants into the market should see choices improve and prices fall, and Ford's strategy for EVs is a welcome alternative to economy-minded options.

The big elephant in the room for Ford is Tesla. Both the Model 3 sedan and the Model Y SUV will compete directly on price and performance with the Mach-E. Beyond that, though, competition is surprisingly scarce. The Hyundai Kona Electric and Kia Niro EV are smaller and slower, while the luxury Jaguar I-Pace and Audi e-tron are much more expensive.

More competition is on the way, though, with Volkswagen's ID.4 likely to pose as a key rival in the future. Also on the horizon is the Byton M-Byte, a Chinese-owned but California-designed EV. We've already driven the Byton prototype, which promises much, but the U.S. on-sale date is yet to be confirmed.

Ford will accept a deposit of $500 now and let you specify your Mach-E, even if it won't actually be delivered until many months after you placed your order. At present, the Mach-E will qualify for a $7,500 federal tax credit, a credit that no longer applies to GM and Tesla (due to the number of EVs they've sold). In theory, this allows you to claim a $7,500 credit on your tax bill, but check first that you meet the criteria.

Edmunds' advice has always been to lease rather than buy an electric vehicle. The technology is moving on so quickly that it makes sense to switch cars every three years. Lease deals also normally allow you to bake any tax credit into the cost of the lease, thereby reducing your monthly rate. But those low-cost leases often hurt EV resale values on the used market, and EVs generally see steeper depreciation than gas cars. Ford's plan is designed to help alleviate the risk of heavy depreciation, and Ford is planning to offer its version of a lease scheme called Ford Options.

The Mach-E comes with the standard Ford Co-Pilot360 suite of advanced safety features that includes frontal collision warning with automatic braking, a blind-spot monitor and lane keeping assist. It can also be optioned with a new hands-free automated driving system called Active Drive Assist.

Much like Cadillac's Super Cruise system, Active Drive Assist can take over driving responsibilities on approved roads. At the moment, over 100,000 miles of roads are eligible and we expect that number to grow. The driver will still be required to keep their eyes on the road, and sensors in the dashboard will disable the system if the driver's eyes and attention are elsewhere.

Also available is a new Road Edge Detection system that works much like lane keeping assist. But rather than keeping the car centered within marked lanes, the system uses the edge of the road surface as a reference. This means you can use it on rural roads that aren't marked well. New to Ford is Intersection Assist, which works much like frontal collision mitigation but is activated by vehicles in the opposing direction or crossing an intersection.

The most convenient way to run an electric car is to plug it into a socket at home, just as you would a mobile phone. However, to achieve a workable charging speed, you'll need to install a 240-volt plug socket. Ford is working with Amazon to try to make this as hassle-free as possible, but do your homework. And if you rent, be sure to ask your landlord. Once installed, a 240-volt supply will charge the Mach-E at a rate of 22 miles per charging hour, or 32 miles if you install the optional Ford Connected charging station.

If you need to recharge on the move, Ford has partnered with Electrify America to provide access to fast-charging points across the U.S. Using this system, Ford says you'll be able to add up to 61 miles of range in just 10 minutes. Just know that this is under optimum conditions; actual recharging speeds depend on the power of the fast charging station and the state of the car's battery at the time.